Nerds Can Be Sexy, Too
by CriminallyCastle
Summary: What happens when Aaron Hotchner makes an unexpected visit to Emily Prentiss' apartment during the night, all to return her cellphone? How does he react to what she's wearing?


_**A/N: Hey, guys! So, here's a little one-shot for y'all to enjoy while I regain motivation to continue my two on-going stories, 'Enchanted' and 'Awaken'. This takes place right before Doyle, just an FYI. **_

_**Hope y'all enjoy! And please, please, please remember to leave a review! Thanks!**_

_**I do not own Criminal Minds or any of the characters… Damn.**_

"Prentiss, I know you're in. You left your phone at the office." Hotch stood back from the door and sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets as he masked his features with his usual stoic expression. The door opened in front of him, and he tried to hide his smile as she came out, her usual dark and lively eyes were filled with exhaustion, the bags were evident under her eyes, as a tight smile was displayed on her lips. But what had really gotten his attention was the white smear of white cream on her lip.

He smiled widely and eyed her down, smirking at her irritated scoff as she rolled her eyes. "No offense, sir, but it's late and I'd kind of like to get to sleep soon…" She shrugged and that's when he noticed her shirt. He grinned even larger than before and licked his lips, trying to scold his features. He cleared his throat and tilted his head.

"Um, Doctor Who?"

She eyed him, her brow arching as she gasped softly. Hotch's heart fluttered slightly at her sudden intake of breath, that he managed to smile even wider as she looked up at him confused, "What?" She glanced down as he motioned to her shirt, and groaned, "Oh, shit." On her shirt was a large picture of David Tennant, the tenth doctor, and the tardis. She shook her head and bit her lip, "Okay, yeah, I watch Doctor Who, Yes, I know. I am a nerd. Now, can we get this over with?" She blamed Reid for getting her into the show. She had watched one episode with him on Halloween, and ended up finishing that season in the next following three weeks.

Hotch laughed, making Emily's eyes widen in shock. He had actually just laughed. She hadn't thought that was possible. He shook his head and nodded, "Yeah, we can, yes… But you should know that-" She glared, crossing her arms over her chest, covering the Doctor's face, as she cut him off and moved aside from the door. "-Never mind, then."

He glanced around her apartment, noting every change since he had last visited, and nodded. He mentally noted that this was, again, an un-expected visit. He frowned slightly, masking his features once again as he followed her into the kitchen. "I'm sorry, I should've called… I realize it's late, but, I think this would be important to have for the weekend." He shrugged and pulled out her iPhone from his pocket and held it out to her.

She took it from his hand, aware of the slight chill that traveled up her body as her hand touched his gently. She bit her lip unconsciously and nodded, "Thank you… For returning it." She stifled a yawn and shrugged, quickly checking her missed texts before shoving it in her own pocket. She smiled slightly and glanced up at him with weary eyes. "Would you like anything to drink?"

He turned to her and nodded slowly, "Sure," He shrugged and smiled as he eyed her upper lip again, watching as she maneuvered around the kitchen. He couldn't help but smile at her obvious domestic behavior. She looked so natural, so perfect, and so…

He inhaled suddenly, mentally kicking himself. What was he doing? She was not his, and never would be. She was his insubordinate, meaning she was completely off limits. He wasn't that guy, and she wasn't that girl, as this wasn't that time. Her low, husky voice pulled him from her thoughts as she stared at him expectantly. "Um, Hotch?" She cocked her head to the side slightly and raised an eyebrow. When she saw that she now held his attention, she smiled slightly and nodded, "Coffee okay?"

He nodded, letting her return to her job of making coffee for the two of them. He paused and shook his head, "Prentiss?"

Startled, she turned on her heel and dropped the mug, watching the hot water spill out over her hand as the mug clattered to the floor. "Ow, shit!" She sucked in a breath as her hand began to sting from the burn. Bending down to pick up the pieces of broken glass, she felt his hand grasp her elbow and he pulled her over to the sink.

"Are you alright?" He turned the water on cold and placed her hand under the faucet. "Stay." He chastised her and was about to walk away, when his eyes fell on the cream again. He smiled and shook his head, "You, uh… Have a little-" He reached out his hand at her confused expression, and gently wiped the pad of his thumb over her upper lip. "-There."

He smiled as a light scarlet hue tinted her cheeks. He removed his hand and nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. "Hotch-" He shook his head and leaned closer. She thought he was going to kiss her, when he reached across her instead, and grabbed a towel from behind her. He pulled back with a sultry smirk and knelt down to wipe up the mess from the fallen mug.

It took Emily a few moments to comprehend his actions. She almost sighed aloud as he pulled away, wishing he had kissed her. Realizing her thoughts, she mentally kicked herself in the ass. What was this feeling, and where was it coming from? She wished he had kissed her? She shook her head and bit her lip, the tip of her tongue gliding over the area where his thumb had previously been. She closed her eyes and looked down briefly, before turning back to him. "Okay, I think I'm fine now." She shrugged and pulled her hand from the faucet as she grabbed another spare towel and wrapped it around the injured body part.

"I'm sorry, I really should have called." He sighed and apologized a second time, feeling half guilty for her getting burned by a boiling mug full of water.

Emily shook her head and helped him finish picking up the pieces, "No, it's fine. I'm just tired, that's all." She lied through her teeth, her hand still throbbing slightly. Truth was, she hadn't been sleeping lately at all. She had been getting anonymous calls and text messages from a blocked number, and she had a feeling in the pit of her stomach of just who it was that had been sending these messages. _Him. _Even thinking about him sent shivers down her back. She had been lucky to have gotten pulled out of that case, but now… Now she had heard from an old friend that he had returned for revenge, and she was just who he had been looking for.

Bringing her back to reality, Hotch stared at her with a worried expression. As if he could read her, he stood up and turned to her fully, his hazel eyes searching hers for anything to betray her masked face. Nothing did. After all, her father had been a high member in the CIA, as she had been too. "Emily? Are you okay?" It was the first time in years that he had ever called her by her real name. She had always been just Prentiss to him, as he knew they had to keep their distance from each other to stay professional.

Emily looked down and nodded, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

He eyed her carefully, sitting down at the counter as he shook his head. "Fine isn't really a feeling, Emily.." He smiled very thinly in a teasing manner and nodded as she met his gaze, a smile beginning to tug at the corners of her lips.

"Fine is a feeling." She shook her head and smiled a bit wider, "You can say you're fine. People say it all of the time." She shrugged as he let out a very small chuckle.

"Right. You can say that." He nodded and took her arm and examined it. "Does it still hurt?" He slowly raised his eyes to meet hers as Emily nodded after a moment's hesitation. Without breaking eye contact, he unwrapped the towel and slowly lowered his gaze to it. It had already begun to swell and was a reddish color on her pale creamy skin, "Come on, where's your bathroom?"

He led her down the hall way and into the restroom, opening the cabinets she directed him to, and pulled out some ointment for her burn. Once the ointment was spread along the injury, he smiled and wrapped an ice pack around it, nodding. Emily had to admit, she enjoyed seeing him like this. Taking care of her, as if this was how he would take care of Jack, it dawned on her as she realized that this was probably how he indeed took care of him. He was a daddy, after all, and he loved his son unconditionally, anyone could figure that out.

Before he knew what he was doing, he moved closer to her, making her back up instinctively. He placed his hands on either side of her, pinning her to the wall as he slowly stepped closer, his lips pressing against hers delicately. As he realized what had just happened, he tried to pull away, but Emily had just begun to deepen the kiss, causing him to moan softly against her mouth. He breathed a sigh of relief as she kissed him back with a heated passion. Once he finally did manage to separate their lips, he panted softly and opened his eyes, looking down at her. "I…" He paused, actually speechless for the first time.

She giggled softly and blushed, "Wow… Where'd that come from?" She stood on her tip toes and pressed her lips to his once more, nibbling on his bottom lip as he traced the tip of his tongue along her upper lip. He sighed against her, sliding his hands down her waist and holding her in place.

"Emily…" He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as their breath mingled, becoming in sync. He nodded and searched her face, taking a leap of courage. "Emily, I've liked you for years. You don't know how long I've waited to do that." He pressed one last chaste kiss against her lips and sighed, taking her hand and bringing her to the couch. "By the way, I do like the shirt… It's…" He paused and glanced down at it, making her blush, "-hot. I think nerds are sexy." He smiled widely as she grinned slowly, tracing her index finger over his palm.

She let out a small laugh and blushed, "Hmm, would you watch Doctor Who with me?" She eyed him darkly, praying that he would as he chuckled, nodding.

"Yes, I'd even watch Doctor Who with you." He pressed a gentle kiss to her nose and sighed as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

They sat in silence for a while, neither of them knowing how long they had been like that. Finally, he looked down at her and shook his head, "How are you, really?" He studied her dark eyes and saw her sudden intake of breath. Surely his question had caught her off guard. "And don't say fine, Emily. We both know that that's crap." When she didn't answer and turned to avoid his eyes, he paused slightly before continuing, "Emily. I'm not asking as your boss. I'm asking as your… friend. I may not be Morgan, but I do care about you, and I can help." He lifted her chin up, his eyes making contact with hers again as she inhaled softly and swallowed.

"Hotch… It's nothing, really. I just… haven't been sleeping lately." She shrugged and stared into his dark eyes, trying to get him to believe her. She knew that the effort was useless, that he still wouldn't buy it.

"Okay, well, why haven't you been sleeping?"

She shook her head, unable to tell him the truth about her nightmares. Her nightmares containing _him_, as well as her past.

Doyle.

She couldn't even bring herself to think about his name. It was poison in her mind as the memories began to blur in her head.

"Emily, trust me." Please. His eyes were now warm and full of worry for his agent. He knew that she had been having a difficult time lately, but didn't know why. He took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

She choked out softly as she shook her head, "I do, Hotch, I trust you… I just, I can't… not now. I'm sorry." She looked up with pleading eyes as she inhaled a shaky breath. Her eyes began to sting as she blinked. Emily hadn't even realized she was crying until a tear trickled down her cheek and down her chin. Hotch reached up with his free hand and wiped it away, pulling her close awkwardly.

"Hey, okay, it's okay." He nudged her gently and rubbed her back. He couldn't help but familiarize himself with her perfume and memorize every detail of her face. He sighed softly and nodded, feeling her arms wrap around his torso as he sat with her on the couch. "Okay, you don't have to talk… Is there anything I can do?" He peered down at the brunette in his arms as she shook her head against his neck. "Emily…"

She finally pulled from his embrace and bit her lip at the realization of her previous actions. She had just fallen into her unit chief's arms and cried. Panicking, she stood up quickly and closed her eyes, trying to calm her racing heart. "I'm sorry…" She shook her head once more and sighed, running a hand through her dark hair.

"Do you want me to go?" He looked down at her quizzically and sat up against the seat, watching as she stared back up at her with those wide doe eyes. She didn't answer, so he got up and nodded, "If you need anything…" He walked to the door, pausing in his steps as he heard her small voice from the couch.

"Hotch, wait… Don't go, please?" She was now looking down at the ground, picking her nails down to stubs. He sucked in a short breath and nodded, his pulse beginning to speed up a bit. She was clearly hurting, and he couldn't just leave her alone. After all, he knew what it was like. To be hurting so badly inside, but having to pretend that everything was "fine". It pained him to see her so upset, so broken, and yet capable of keeping it together. He closed the space between them and nodded as she spoke again. "Please stay?"

He was standing over her when she finally looked up from the ground. "Always." His low tone vibrated in her chest as he sat down next to her again. "We don't have to talk if you don't want to, but I'll stay with you." She nodded her gratitude before closing her eyes, leaning her head against the armrest of the seat. As soon as she had begun to drift asleep, he swooped her up gently in his arms and carried her to her bedroom, pressing his lips against her forehead as he laid her down on the bed. "I would never leave you, Emily." He nodded and watched her sleep for a few minutes before climbing into the bed next to her, whispering promises into her ebony hair of a better tomorrow as he vowed to be her protector, her friend, and her lover.

_A/N: Hope you enjoyed this One-shot! I know I enjoyed writing it! Please remember to leave a review down below, it's very helpful. Thank you!_


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